Amongst the many great things I can say about the UC, “connections” is the first word that comes to mind. That’s because I see them everywhere.

People in the UC don’t live close to each other; we live close with each other. We are not suburbia; waving at cloned, unnamed neighbors as we leave our cookie-cutter home on our way to the nearby Super Wal-, K- or Targét. (Nor do we want to be.)

By living close with – not to – each other, we have grown to know our neighbors, which is often easy since many UC families have lived here for more than 100 years. We see each other at the independent shops and restaurants we frequent, the Little League Baseball games we attend and the neighborhood-wide porch parties we host.

And by living close with each other, we share a fondness for the neighborhoods we call home. We tell stories of their glorious past, revel in their present and diligently work together to better their future.

“To” is a direction; “with” is a connection.

In this issue of New Heights, we explore those connections. In “Connecting the Corridor,” we follow a race of mass proportions (“transit” that is). It’s an event New Heights sponsored to demonstrate to you just how close each UC neighborhood is to each other – and how quickly (and cheaply) you can travel to each for work, shopping or fun.

We then connect you to the UC’s past by sharing some of it with you, when Maureen J. Patrick – our special guest writer from the Tampa Historical Society – takes you on a hauntingtour of the area’s graveyards to plot “Where the Bodies are Buried.”

After learning about the connections to the past and our connectors of the present, make plans to connect with the New Heights staff in the future. I invite you to join us and your fellow readers for New Heights’ One-Year Celebration on October 2!

And before you’re done reading, be sure to re-connect with our regular columnists, who once again share with you their informative and often humorous musings about Food & Drink, Health & Beauty, Home & Family and the UC’s News & Rumors.

Warm Regards,

Jay McGee, Editor/Publisher
editor@NewHeightsMag.com
(813) 389-8116